The Cyclone Racer at the Pike

Photo taken 8/5/01

For 90 years, Looff’s building, which once housed a carousel and later a gaming hall, was open every day, every week, on every holiday. It closed only once: July 1, 1918, the day Charles L.D. Looff, its master craftsman died.

Today, exactly 83 years after its one dark day, the Looff’s Lite-a-Line building closed forever, and the last of Long Beach’s historic Pike amusement park will be demolished this week to make way for condominiums, a parking garage and a mall”.

Above is from a story by Stephen Lynch in The Orange County Register: July 1, 2001

The gazebo peaked roof is all that is left of Looff’s Lite-a-Line building that was the center of the Pike, seen here with the Long Beach Convention Center and Hyatt Hotel in the background. The roof will be attached to a new visitors’ center.

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